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Northampton is hardly the most glamorous location on the planet, but its rugby union team delivers a great deal of thrills and drama.

In a place renowned for footwear manufacturing, you would think punting to be the Northampton's primary strategy. Yet under leader Phil Dowson, the squad in green, black and gold opt to run with the ball.

Even though embodying a distinctly UK town, they display a panache associated with the finest Gallic masters of expansive play.

From the time Dowson and fellow coach Sam Vesty assumed control in 2022, the Saints have won the Premiership and advanced far in the European competition – losing to a French side in last season’s final and eliminated by the Irish province in a last-four clash earlier.

They lead the competition ladder after four wins and a draw and head to their West Country rivals on Saturday as the only unbeaten side, chasing a first win at Ashton Gate since 2021.

It would be natural to think Dowson, who participated in 262 elite matches for multiple clubs altogether, always planned to be a coach.

“As a professional, I didn't really think about it,” he states. “Yet as you mature, you understand how much you appreciate the rugby, and what the real world entails. I worked briefly at a banking firm doing a trial period. You do the commute a multiple instances, and it was difficult – you grasp what you do and don’t have.”

Conversations with former mentors culminated in a role at the Saints. Jump ahead a decade and Dowson leads a roster increasingly filled with global stars: Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Alex Mitchell and Alex Coles were selected for the Red Rose versus the All Blacks two weeks ago.

The young flanker also had a major effect from the replacements in the national team's perfect autumn while Fin Smith, eventually, will take over the pivotal position.

Is the emergence of this exceptional group attributable to the team's ethos, or is it fortune?

“It's a combination of the two,” says Dowson. “My thanks go to an ex-coach, who thrust them into action, and we had difficult periods. But the experience they had as a group is certainly one of the causes they are so close-knit and so skilled.”

Dowson also mentions Mallinder, a former boss at Franklin’s Gardens, as a key figure. “It was my good fortune to be coached by highly engaging individuals,” he notes. “Mallinder had a big impact on my professional journey, my management style, how I manage people.”

Northampton play appealing rugby, which proved literally true in the example of the French fly-half. The Frenchman was part of the opposing team beaten in the European competition in the spring when the winger notched a triple. He liked what he saw to such an extent to buck the pattern of UK players moving to France.

“A friend phoned me and stated: ‘There’s a fly-half from France who’s in search of a club,’” Dowson explains. “I said: ‘We don’t have money for a French fly-half. Thomas Ramos will have to wait.’

‘He desires experience, for the chance to test himself,’ my mate told me. That caught my attention. We had a conversation with Anthony and his language skills was excellent, he was articulate, he had a sense of humour.

“We asked: ‘What are you seeking from this?’ He answered to be trained, to be challenged, to be in a new environment and beyond the Top 14. I was like: ‘Welcome aboard, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he proved to be. We’re fortunate to have him.”

Dowson says the emerging the flanker brings a unique energy. Has he encountered an individual like him? “Never,” Dowson answers. “Everyone’s original but he is distinct and special in multiple respects. He’s unafraid to be authentic.”

Pollock’s breathtaking score against Leinster in the past campaign illustrated his freakish talent, but various his expressive on-field antics have resulted in allegations of cockiness.

“He sometimes appears cocky in his actions, but he’s not,” Dowson clarifies. “Plus he's not joking around all the time. Tactically he has ideas – he’s not a clown. I believe sometimes it’s shown that he’s only a character. But he’s intelligent and great to have to have around.”

Few coaches would claim to have sharing a close bond with a head coach, but that is how Dowson characterizes his connection with his co-coach.

“Together possess an curiosity regarding different things,” he says. “We maintain a literary circle. He aims to discover various elements, seeks to understand all there is, aims to encounter different things, and I feel like I’m the alike.

“We talk about many things away from the game: films, books, concepts, art. When we met our French rivals in the past season, the cathedral was under renovation, so we had a brief exploration.”

One more fixture in Gall is approaching: The Saints' comeback with the Prem will be temporary because the continental event kicks in next week. Their next opponents, in the shadow of the border region, are up first on matchday before the South African team arrive at the following weekend.

“I refuse to be presumptuous enough to {